Schubert sacked. Was it time for change?

In the wake of the 1-0 home defeat to VfR Aalen last night, the club announced this morning that it had parted company with manager Andre Schubert with immediate effect. The sacking will come as no great surprise to fans, with some weak performances on the pitch since the start of the season. However, given that the club stuck by Schubert at the end of last season, is it right to sack him now only weeks into the 2.Bundesliga campaign?

The sacking will polarise the opinions of fans. Some had wanted Schubert gone at the end of last season with little changing their minds from the performances so far this season, and others believe Schubert deserved a fair chance at the role, time to mould his own team having come so close to 3rd place last season.

A comment made last night from one of our members whilst watching the game was that the team didn’t resemble St. Pauli, and I had to agree. The team lacked passion and commitment, the players looked disinterested. Tactics aside, the players didn’t seem confident or comfortable in their own abilities or in the team. Is this a reflection on the players? Perhaps a little, but it has been a reoccurring theme since the start of the season. When every individual member of a team seems to be unable to do the basics of football, it is clear that the problem is more significant than nerves. The team last night were incapable of passing the ball, crossing the ball, defending set-pieces, we didn’t have a shot on target until the last 5 minutes of the game.

I was firmly behind Schubert at the end of last season, finishing 4th on goal difference in a very competitive league was not an underachievement in my opinion. But it is clear now that things have to change. He didn’t seem to know his best team or formation, and that was clearly reflected in the performances on the pitch.

But change for the sake of change isn’t the answer. The board must now find a suitable replacement, one capable of reinvigorating the current team and get us doing the basics correctly. We have a good team, the results and performances so far this season certainly aren’t indicative of the capabilities we have in the side.